King Veritas

King Veritas was a lurker, and the founder and king of Vostok - a large kingdom in existence for 137 years. King Veritas is believed by many to be a myth, but historical records from many independent sources seem to confirm his existence.

Vostok Massacre

King Veritas founded Vostok in the year 125AF by uniting nine warring duchies on the eastern edge of the Quinn Empire in a brutal and bloody military campaign, before forcefully separating from the empire during the Quinn-Lone Civil War. Over the coming years, King Veritas would prove an illusive figure, rarely appearing in public. Nevertheless, Vostok grew into a prosperous young nation, absorbing many of the smaller surrounding nations. King Veritas was viewed positively by most, as despite his lack of public appearances, he was very open with his personal stances on politics and civil rights published in the Royal Times, earning him widespread popularity among many disparaged groups.

King Veritas seemed especially keen on encouraging population growth, fostering agriculture, and expanding both the police and military. He declared himself immortal shortly after his rise to the throne, and though few believed him at first, as the years passed and he remained alive, many began to believe there was truth to his claims.

In 262AF, King Veritas announced an enormous festival in the capital city of Vost, declaring that attendance was mandatory, and sending a platoon of soldiers to every village in the kingdom to ensure maximum turn out. He was very vague on the exact details of this festival, but the people of Vostok filled in enough of the details in their head to create the sense that he had discovered some sort of grand revelation, and simply wanted to share it for the good of the people. Internally, however, King Veritas began to develop a specialised corps of loyal soldiers known as the Volastice Loyalists. The Loyalists were brainwashed into believing King Veritas had some sort of divine magical powers, allowing him to grant immortality to those who had temporarily departed from the mortal realm via sleep. He informed the Loyalists that he required a massive amounts of powerful magical dust to be scattered throughout the streets. The streets themselves, built over 100 years ago, and designed by the King himself, formed the perfect outline of a gigantic magic sleep circle. Operating in perfect secrecy, the Volastice Loyalists followed the King’s every demand with unwavering loyalty, and startling efficiency. The Loyalists were ordered to leave the city, and observe the festival from a nearby hill.

At precisely 2:00 o’clock, on the 11th day of Lunaris, King Veritas made a personal appearance on a colossal stage just outside the royal palace, addressing the large majority of the nation who had gathered in the capital. He thanked everyone for coming, then tapped the ground twice, activating the sleep circle. With every living being in the city registered unconscious, the King revealed his true, monstrous form, and descended to the crowded streets, sweeping through them and devouring hundreds of people in every single bite. By the end of the feast, he had grown unimaginably powerful, and practically flattened the entire city. Even as they realised what was happening, the Loyalists could do nothing but watch as the King destroyed everything they had ever known. It is not known for sure why King Veritas spared the Loyalists, but many consider the sadistic nature of shapeshifters to be explanation enough.

King Veritas then dissolved into the shadows, vanishing from the city in an instant, and leaving the Loyalists to scour the city for survivors. His current status is unknown, but many believe him to still be alive. It is likely that due to the shear volume of power consumed from the corpses of his victims, his return would signal the beginning of a new age, akin to the Fetid Times.